Clovis native headed to Comedy Central station

August 11, 2004

By Helena Rodriguez

A former Clovis man is laughing his way to success, all the way up to Comedy Central TV network’s “Premium Blend” show.
Jason Holman, a former Clovis Community College student and graduate of Eastern New Mexico University, is slated to take his 12-minute standup comedy act in front of the Comedy Central cameras next month in New York. He said the show will probably air on Friday, Oct. 15.
“I was always a cutup my entire life. I never really took anything too seriously. This won’t surprise any of my former employers,” said 31-year-old Holman.
But Holman does take his comedy seriously, writing for hours a day while also carrying on a full-time job as a writer at a production company. And six nights a week, he’s out on the streets scouting for somebody who will give him stage time.
He has performed at place such as The Improv in Hollywood and The Ice House in Los Angeles, where he currently lives with his wife, Maurissa and 8-year-old son. In addition, he has performed with big-name funny men such as Chris Rock, David Spade and Joe Rogan of TV’s “Fear Factor.”
In his act, Holman mostly takes jabs at himself, joking about the fact that he is big guy living in a skinny person’s world, and him being from New Mexico, the plight of a small town guy going to a big city for the first time.
Holman also pokes fun at the Los Angeles Police Department, which was recently involved in another alleged abuse scandal.
“What’s the deal with the PD here?” Holman says. “They pull you over, drag you out of your car, beat you, spray mace in your face, slap handcuffs on you, and then as soon as you’re getting into their car they say ‘Watch your head!’”
When a joke bombs, Holman said he just tries to play it off or talk it up a little bit and get silly with it, but, he said “I never attack the audience.”
Top comedians Holman most admires include Rock, Jerry Seinfeld and George Lopez. He noted that he really identifies with Lopez because he is married to a Latina.
“The hardest part about being a comedian is you finally have to come to terms and accept you are not in charge of your destiny, others are, although you should try to be.”